Prominent Spokane developer Harlan Douglass is seeking land-use designation changes that would allow more intensive commercial uses on two properties he owns in North Spokane.

One of the two properties is about 6.5 acres of undeveloped land and is located at 10809 N. Indian Trail, just south of the Spokane city limits. The other property is a 4.3-acre undeveloped lot at 5025 W. Nine Mile Road, just west of a convenience store.

Both properties currently are designated as neighborhood mini-centers, per the city's comprehensive land-use plan, and documents submitted to the city on behalf of Douglass say that he's seeking to change that designation to general commercial.

The documents submitted to the city's planning department by Douglass's consultant, Todd Whipple, of Spokane Valley-based Whipple Consulting Engineers Inc., say that they believe the two properties were designated wrongly as neighborhood mini-centers and should have been defined as general commercial. Neither Douglass nor Whipple could be reached for comment.

Spokane city planner Dave Compton says, "That's what they believe. It's (designated) neighborhood retail because it's surrounded by a neighborhood, versus being next to Division."

He says that in 2002, Douglass sought to build a mini-storage facility on the Indian Trail parcel, but that such a business isn't allowed under the mini-center designation.

The documents requesting the land-use change for the two sites also state that the city's comprehensive plan defines a neighborhood mini-center as a lot no larger than two acres, yet that plan's wording defines one as ranging in size between two and five acres.

Revised in early 2007, the comprehensive plan says a neighborhood mini-center allows small, freestanding businesses. Such mini-centers usually lie outside of major city centers and corridors. Some areas in the city that are designated as neighborhood mini-centers are over five acres in size, which is based on pre-existing zoning designations, the comprehensive plan says. Drive-through facilities, including gas stations, are allowed but are limited in size. The plan further stipulates that businesses in this designation should encourage pedestrians by providing adequate sidewalks or walking paths and should have parking lots that aren't located in the front of the building.

Under a general commercial designation, a wider range of uses is allowed, such as shopping centers and larger freestanding businesses, the plan says. In areas designated as general commercial near residential neighborhoods, site development standards can be adopted to minimize impacts on the area, it says.

Douglass' request contends that the proposed land-use change would provide greater development flexibility without causing any adverse impacts to the adjacent neighborhoods.

Concerned residents who live in the areas have submitted two letters and one e-mail to the planning department opposing the changes. As of mid-February, the city hadn't received any letters of support for the changes.

The city's engineering services department also said in an e-mail to the planning department that the change would generate negative traffic impacts to both areas.

To comply with current transportation guidelines for the two areas, infrastructure enhancements to the roads would need to be made, the department says.

It said the sites' owner would have to pay for those enhancements because neither Indian Trail Road nor Five Mile Road are planned to receive improvements as part of the city's six-year street program.

Comments concerning the land-use changes may be submitted to the city planning department until March 16. The process to approve or deny the request could take up to a year, Compton says.